Chapter 18

Orochimaru's request was both confusing and unexpected. Asking for her hair in the middle of a casual conversation? Tsunade couldn't help but feel a mix of confusion and embarrassment.

"Wh-why do you want someone else's hair?" she stammered, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Could it be…? Tsunade's thoughts started running wild. Does he want to keep it as some kind of keepsake? A token of love, maybe?

She already had a growing crush on Orochimaru, and in her mind, hair was something personal, even intimate. Given how shy she already felt around him, it was only natural that her imagination ran wild with possibilities.

"If it's inconvenient, forget it," Orochimaru replied nonchalantly, his calm demeanor showing no sign of ulterior motives.

"You…!" Tsunade, who had been shy moments ago, was now irritated by his total lack of awareness. How could he be so casual about asking for something like that?! "You're so arrogant, asking someone for something so personal!"

Nevertheless, Tsunade reluctantly plucked a strand of her hair and handed it to him. "Here!"

Had it been anyone else, she probably would've been furious, but since it was Orochimaru she begrudgingly complied. This guy is such a straight-laced fool, she thought.

Orochimaru took the hair calmly, his expression still as unreadable as ever. "Thank you," he said, his voice even and polite.

"Uh… No… You're welcome…" Tsunade stuttered, surprised by his sudden politeness. She wasn't used to Orochimaru being so formal with her.

Without saying another word, Orochimaru slipped the strand of hair into the sleeve of his robe, where his genetic detector was hidden.

[Ding, human hair specimen detected. Quality: medium. Slight life energy can be extracted upon fusion.]

"Huh… Tsunade's gene quality is only medium?" Orochimaru murmured to himself. "Just a little life energy? I was hoping for more, perhaps the legendary vitality of the Senju."

After months of experimentation, Orochimaru had come to understand a lot more about how the gene extraction process worked. While hair could offer some genetic material, it wasn't as accurate or potent as samples taken from flesh and blood. But even with the limitations of hair, the results here were still valid.

The realization struck him that Tsunade's genetic potential wasn't as high as he had initially assumed. Tsunade's genes really are… just average?

It made sense when he thought about it. The Senju clan had indeed been powerful, but there were only a few standout figures known throughout history. In Tsunade's generation, even her parents didn't achieve any particular fame. In fact, Tsunade's own chakra reserves weren't all that impressive unless she used the Yin Seal. Without that technique, her chakra capacity was arguably lower than even Jiraiya's an average civilian-born ninja.

With that in mind, the system's analysis seemed accurate.

Only a little life energy, huh…Orochimaru pondered. After a moment of thought, he decided he would save these genes for later, once he unlocked gene fusion. He could then choose the best genes for fusion, aiming to maximize his benefits.

"Hey! Why are you two still standing around here?" a loud voice called from a distance.

Orochimaru and Tsunade turned their heads simultaneously.

"Jiraiya, what do you want?" Tsunade asked.

"Hiruzen-sensei's busy today," Jiraiya said with a grin, "so he told me to let you know we're disbanded for the day."

"What?!"

---

Orochimaru was lucky, and not just because of his status. Being one of the future legendary Sannin meant he had a bright future ahead. But from the moment he transmigrated into this world, his position had been unique.

In the harsh world of ninja villages, ordinary civilian-born ninjas were often looked down upon or bullied. But neither Orochimaru nor Jiraiya had to deal with that. Why? Because they had a teacher, and their teacher Hiruzen was a disciple of the Second Hokage.

Thanks to this connection, no one dared bully them, not even the Uchiha clan members who usually held themselves in high regard. After all, who would risk offending the Hokage's disciple?

Taking advantage of this rare free time, Orochimaru said his goodbyes to Jiraiya and Tsunade. He had more important matters to attend to specifically, gathering plant and animal specimens for his experiments.

Tsunade and Jiraiya, accustomed to Orochimaru's solitary habits, didn't think much of it as he wandered off.

"He's always doing his own thing," Tsunade remarked.

"Yeah, but hey, I've got something to show you!" Jiraiya grinned, an air of excitement in his voice.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Something to show me? What is it?"

Jiraiya's confidence radiated as he pulled out a kunai, nicked his finger, and quickly began forming hand seals.

"Watch this!"

Summoning Jutsu!

With a loud slap on the ground, black runes spread out from the point of contact, and in an instant, white smoke billowed around him. As the smoke cleared, a small toad appeared in front of them.

Tsunade blinked. "This is…"

Jiraiya puffed out his chest, arms crossed proudly. "What do you think? Pretty cool, right? I've learned how to summon toads from Mount Myoboku! Impressed yet?"

Ever since he had signed the contract with the toads of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya had been eager to show off his new abilities especially to Tsunade. He wanted her to see that he wasn't just a slacker; he was powerful, too.

Tsunade had originally been slightly impressed. However, the moment she saw Jiraiya's smug expression, her pride kicked in, and she rolled her eyes. "It's just a summoning jutsu. What's the big deal? I can do that too."

"What?!" Jiraiya immediately deflated, his excitement crashing into disbelief. "You can do it too?"

"Of course! Watch."

With a similar motion, Tsunade bit her finger, performed the seals, and slammed her hand to the ground. A second plume of white smoke appeared, and when it dissipated, a small slug stood next to Jiraiya's toad.

"This… this is…!" Jiraiya was stunned, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Tsunade had summoned something too?

Tsunade grinned smugly. "How about that? Did I lie to you?"

Jiraiya stood in stunned silence, unable to process what had just happened. He had been so proud of his new skill, only to discover that Tsunade who hadn't bragged about it at all could do the same thing.

"But…" Jiraiya stammered, still trying to salvage his pride. "Even so, I'm definitely stronger than Orochimaru!"

Tsunade gave him an unimpressed look. "You'd better stop dreaming. Even if you know the summoning technique, I'm sure Orochimaru knew it a long time ago. He's just not as showy as you."

"No way…!" Jiraiya's world was collapsing.

"How's it impossible? If you don't believe me, go ask him."

"I will!"

---

Jiraiya's confidence was shattered as he stormed off, determined to find out if what Tsunade said was true. Meanwhile, Tsunade couldn't help but chuckle at his frustration, knowing full well that Orochimaru likely did know the summoning jutsu and that he was the type to keep such abilities to himself.

Poor Jiraiya,she thought with a smirk. He's got a long way to go.